Operation Darkness sounded like such a winner in my book.  A strategy RPG set during World War II involving the occult?  Zombies, werewolves, and vampires?  It has the most interesting premise of any game set in World War II that I've seen in a long time.  I really wanted to like this game.

Unfortunately, Operation Darkness has  the absolute worst camera system I have ever seen in any SRPG.  It just stays in too close to characters when its their turn, and the way the camera jumps and cuts around the battlefield during enemy phases makes it nearly impossible to tell who is moving where or shooting at what.  I could understand if any of the game's other mechanics had done it in, but to think that the camera in a strategy RPG could be bungled like this is just mind-boggling.

It's not just the camera that drops this game like a rock. It's arguably one of the top 3 worst games produced this gen.

Operation Darkness = Epic fail

The concept seems awesome i must admit  - but it doesnt inspire much confidance with its presentation

"It's not just the camera that drops this game like a rock. It's arguably one of the top 3 worst games produced this gen."

This game is incredible.  You're all babies.

 Well, I had been dying for a game like this since I played FF Tactics on the original Playstation ages ago (I even somewhat sated myself with that online Flash game, Tactics Core T_T), so the graphics are a step up for me ;p  Ok, they're not really that great, but who cares.... this game reminds me of FF Tactics/X-com/etc so I was very happy to start playing it.  
 
The problems I have with the game are listed below:
 
1)  Getting blind-sided by level-specific actions (reinforcements, placement, enemy type etc) the first time you play that level.  The next time you do it, though, you are aware of where the reinforcements will pop and can game the level for all it's worth, ensuring you have plenty of people to focus bazooka fire into hapless enemy clusters.  This is common in many games, though..like that time in Half-Life where you're on the conveyor belt and two grunts come out behind a box and pump a nade into your face.  oh well, next time you nade them before t hey get to act.
 
2)  long missions.. not really a bad thing, but can be annoying if a tank parks itself on one of your main characters and screws you.  Just be careful with the important guys =/  I dunno how the guys who write the readmes get by w/out using the Auto-Restore talent.. must be godly.  
 
3)  Jude is fucking useless.  I could give him a bayonet and he'd still be the last person to move AND miss every time.  Thank god he turned into a vampire sidekick and I got to shoot him to hell.
 
4)  Having Cynthia, Edward and 2 generics on sniper Cover:Ambush duty can bring tears of frustration if a mess of skeletons suddenly pop in your face.  4x20 cover ambush shots for 1 dmg really slows shit down... especially since they are fast movers and you'll play that out at least two more times b4 u can cancel everyone's Cover: Ambush.  Having said that, It's a lot more efficient to have one person Ambush and then everyone else Cover: Attack.. they'll do more damage.
 
5) minor point, but the variability in the number of ppl you can bring on missions is annoying....but i'm probably the only person in the universe leveling up two generics at the same time.  For that matter, leveling up some characters can be a bit tough.. particularly the slow-movers, Herbert and the guy who Rage buffs.  Jude too, but nobody cares about him. useless. 
 
6) some of the MS abilities seem particularly hard to hit well with.. (Cynthia's triple shot, anyone?)
 
anyway, i'm still having fun with this game.. only reason i took a break was because I found out that I probably wasn't on track to beat it in time to get an achieve, which made me QQ and ponder restarting.. so i shelved it for a bit.  Overall, the game is fun for the strategic play rather than graphics or story.  I contest the assertion that the tight camera during enemy movements makes it hard to figure out who's doing what.  The first time, maybe.. but you can check the layout of the battlefield when it's the turn of any of your characters and you pick up who is where, next to what etc.  I think they tried to dramatize the camera-work for movement and attacks and it came out alright.. nothign special, but nothing terrible.  Looking forward to finishing it off, actually... then on to valkyria chronicles.  WHo knows, maybe after playing VK i'll come back and say this game was crap.. we'll see.

Well now that this title is available on the Xbox 360 Marketplace via the "Games on Demand" service, you can pick it up for the low low price of $40, or 3,200 Microsoft points!!